Hearing apparatus



Patented Sept. -4, 1928, i 4

ANTON von sucno'nzx'nsxi, or BBESLAU, Giannini nnanm mnaa'rus.

Application filed July 27, 1925, Serial No.

- This invention relates to a device for facilitating the hearing in which a membrane bag bearing against the membrane of the tympanum communicates with a sound receiving 5 diaphragm arranged in the concha, so that the sound waves striking the ear are intensified when transmitted upon'the membrane of the tympanum. a In similar hearing devices of known type the membrane bag is connected with the sound receiving diaphragm by a tube of soft rubber and the sound waves are transferredupon the membrane bag by the air column in this tube. The tube of soft rubber is a reso name apparatus and constructed in such a manner that it receives the sound waves, and the air moved thereby is propagated in the tube as a total mass. As in apparatus of known type essential'parts of the same, which have to conduct the sound waves, are in con- 7 tact with the concha and with the wall ofthe auditory canal and are more or less clamped in the same the propagation of the sound waves is very muchimpeded, the sound energy is more or less weakened and cannot act upon the membrane-of the tympanum with full strength.

The device according to the invention differs from the hearing apparatus of known type in that the sound receiving diaphragm is connected with the membrane bag by .a'

spiral spring or by a liquid medium whereby.

the above stated inconveniences of the apparatus of known type are overcome. The use I of a spiral spring for connecting thesound receiving diaphragm with the membrane bag presents furtherthe. advantage that it exerts continuously a soft massagingaction upon the fatigued, cartilaginified or calcified portions of the auditory canal so that these por- 1 tions are constantly excited to-normal activity as the sound waves striking upon the sound receiving diaphragm produce fine oscillations of this diaphragm which are trans-.

.mitted by the spiral spring upon the mem-- brane of thetympanum. and further by the Y auditory bones upon the inner ear or laby-' rinth. The walls of the auditory-canal are at the same time softly massaged by the oscillations of the windings of the wire without any mechanical operation of-the apparatus merely by the action of the sound waves upon the outer surface ofthe soundreceiving diaph ag a As thed pest mus ca ton aus s scale partly in 46,372, and .-i n February 5, 19 25.

about 48 sound oscillations per second, thei hi her tones however'up to 1000' sound oscil ations. per second many millions of sound oscillations will act during a day as soft permanent massage upon the auditory organ so that the defects of the car, even in bad cases, are rapidly cured by the use of the improved apparatus. I Q

An embodiment of the invention is shown, by way of example, on the accompanyingdrawings in which Fig. 1 shows the apparatus working by means of a wire spiral'in longitudinal section" inserted in an ear which is also shown in section. J i i F g. 2 shows-in longitudinal section the apparatus alone-,3 the wire spiral being coveredby a thin rubber tube. V Fig. 3 showsthe rear-end of the rubber tube with wire spiral as sho'wn in Fig. 2 on larger section and partly in elevation. Fig; 4 shows in section on line 4-4 of- Fig. 5 an ear capsule working with a liquid medium and to be inserted into the concha.

Fig. 5 shows this ear capsule in longitudinal section. I l j p Referring to Fig. 1 a sound diaphragm 1 of metal is mounted on a rubber shell 2 adapted to the shapebf the concha. On this diaphragm 1 a. spiral spring 3 is-fixed theother end of which forms a loop 4 upon which a membrane bag 5 is inounted'which, when the. apparatus is inserted into the ear, bears against the membrane of the tympanum. The sound waves which strike upon the diaphragm, make this diaphragm oscillate whereby fine oscillations of the windings of the wire spiral are caused which are ta-ansmitted upon the membrane of the tympanum and by the ear bones-upon the inner ear, the labyrinth. Atthe same time the spiral spring, exerts continuously a soft massaging of the cartilaginified and calcified portions of the auditor'ycana-l.

As shown in Fig. 2 a thin rubber tube 6 covers the spiralspring 3, the end I of this tube forming the membrane bag into which engages the loop shaped end 4' of the spiral spring. Owing to the undulations produced in'the rubber tube by the of the spiral spring the active surface of this. rub.- 2 her tube is considerably enlarged so that the n: m, the au i y c nal is aac llated n the I same manner as the membrane of the tympawhereby the inserting of the spiral spring into the auditory canal and a seating free of pressure is obtained.

According to'Figs. 4 and 5 a rubber tube 19 is used as connection between the membrane bag and the sound -receiving diaphragm,which is filled with water or any other convenient liquid with which the shell 2 filled also,so that the sound transmission between the diaphragm land the membrane bag is eil'ected by the liquid. A spiral spring might also be used as additional connection between the diaphragm and the membrane bag, said spiral spring being enclosed in the rubber tube 19. I

j The efl'ect will be the same as with the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 3, but the use of a liquid for transmitting has the advantage that the sound energy can be intensified by a convenient construction of the shell 2. With this object in view the shell.2 is preferably made from glass and its outer shape is adapted to the shape of the concha. A ring 8 is insertedin this shell 2 and a metal cone 9 is inserted in this rin Between the metal cor-e 9 and the ring 8 a diaphragm 10 is clamped so that it is tightly packed. In the edge 11- of cone 9 a diaphragm 13 is clamped by means of a cap 12, a pin 14 being fixed on this diaphragm 13 the diameter of which pin being slightly shorter than the inner diameter of the diaphragm 13. A'rubber diaphragm 16- is clamped on a ring 15. This rubber diaphragm 16 may be covered by a cover 17 of wire gauze or perforated sheet metal, so that it is well protected. The rubber tube 19, of

soft rubber is placed on the mouthpiece 18 of the shell 2 and adapted to the shape of the auditory canal.

The hollow spaces in the cone 9 and in the shell 2, which a separated the one from the other by the diaphragm 10 are filled with water, oil or another suitable liquid. The liquid in the tube 19 comn'iunicates directly with the liquid in shell 2, while the liquid in shell 2 is separated from the liquid in the cone 9 by the diaphragm 10. The hollow spaces are preferably filled in such a manner that in each hollow space a small air bulb 20 and 21 remains.

The operation of the apparatus is as follow-sz- The large, stretched rubber diaphragm 16 offers, owing to the conical shape, a large surface for the reception of the sound waves and also a specially good reverberating capability. Y

This rubber diaphragm 16 when put under tension presses upon the pin 14 of diaphragm 13 and as this pin 14.- is of a diameter only very little shorter than the inner diameter of the diaphragm 13 it actsupon the dia- -phragm 13 in a similar manner as the piston of a hydraulic press and maintains under tension the diaphragm 13 which presses upon the liquid. By the air bulb 20 in cone 9 every movement of the liquid in the space becomes elastic and this air bulb prevents further the rupture of the diaphragm at sudden strong sound impulses.

The diaphragm 10 is smaller than diaphragm 16, so that, when diaphragm 16 v1- bra-tes the vibration of diaphragm 10 is increased and also by the intermediate action oi diaphragm 13., These stronger vibrations of diaphragm 10' are transi'nitted directly upon' the liquid in shell 2 and thence upon the liquid in the tube 19 so that the vibratitms of the diaphragm 16 produced by the sound waves are transmitted upon the membrane of the tympanum considerably intensified. The air bulb 21 in shell 2 serves as pressure regulator for the liquid in the shell 2.

if a wire spiral 3 is mounted in the rubber tube 19 of shell 2, in the form of construc- ,tion shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the undulations 6 produced in the wall of the tube by said wire spiral (Fig. 3) increase the transmitting surface so that a portion of the sound,

diameter than the auditory canal so that it isnot in contact with the walls of said auditory canal.

2. Apparatus for persons who are hard of hearing comprising in combination a sound receiving diaphragm in the concha. a membrane ba g on the membrane of the tympanum and a liquid medium connecting said diaphragm with said membrane bag.

3. Apparatus for persons who are hard of hearing comprising in combination a sound ret'eiving diaphragm in the concha, a membrane bag on the membrane of the tympa-- num, a spiral spring connecting said diaphragm with said membrane bag and a tube of soft rubber sheathing said spiral sprin 4. Apparatus for persons who are hard of hearing, comprising in combination a sound receiving diaphragm in the eoncha, a spiral spring fixed at one end to said diaphragm,

5. Apparatus for personswho are hard of the membrane of the tympanum, said shell hearing, comprising in combination a shell and said tube being filled with a liquid deadapted to the shape of the concha and in-' signed to transmit the vibrations of said dia- 10 serted in said concha, a sound receiving diaphragm upon said membrane bag. I

5 'phragm in said shell, a rubber tube fixed at In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. I

one end to said shell and having its other end formed as a membrane bag in contact with ANTON v. SUCHORZYNSKI. 

